Post by Doran McBride

Throughout our trip in Mumbai we have met with a variety of journalists, writers, and other members of India’s media. While these interviews have enlightened us on issues effecting India, they have also shaped our understanding of the current state of India’s media.

To borrow the words of lecturer Smruti Koppikar of the news magazine Outlook, the future looks bleak.

Now you may be saying, isn’t that the case for all of the world’s media? Newspapers across the world are slowly dying as they struggle to find a viable business model in the internet age. But in India, where (according to the World Bank) only five percent of the population regularly uses the internet, print media is still strong.

But in India, it’s not the business that is dying – it is the content. Read more…

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Post by Carly de Anda

India is like no other experience I have ever had.  With the different smells, colors, noise, and the heat, one could argue we are on a completely different planet. Mumbai is the second most populous city in the world, trailing behind Shanghai.  Among these cluttered streets you will find some of the most expensive real estate in the world.  On one small block you will see luxurious buildings selling some of the most expensive brand name products. Yet clinging to these buildings one will also find the average Indian taking shelter amidst the cluttered streets, and rundown buildings, surviving on 50 Rupees a day. (Equivalent to 1.14 U.S dollars.)  This scenery forces one to wonder who and what measures are being taken to address such obvious injustices.

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Post by Elena Coe

If there is one common theme that has embodied the experiences of our group of Seattle University students during our stay in India, it is undoubtedly contrast. From massive cultural variety to the sudden downpours followed seconds later by blistering sun, we have seen as many differences within the city of Mumbai as might exist across the entire United States. The ninth day of our Mass Media course, exemplified this type of contrast as we heard about the current state of India’s media from two opposing sides.

In the morning, our group of twelve joined the Social Communications Media (SCM) students from Sophia Polytechnic, whom we have all grown to adore, for a lecture from Jeroo F. Mulla entitled “Media and Social Action.” Jeroo is Head of the Social Communications Media Department at the college, and she selects top journalists like Jerry Pinto and P. Sainath to teach the students while also running courses in documentary filmmaking herself. Incredibly well-spoken and clearly knowledgeable about a vast number of topics related to media and communications, Jeroo discussed what she views as the deterioration of the news media in India. Pressing social matters are often not properly addressed in mainstream media, and Jeroo cited farmers’ suicides, the privatization of water, minorities, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) reports, poverty, and numerous others to support this observation. Instead, the news focuses on politics, sports, glamour, and business—the items of news that will attract the largest audience. Most importantly, Jeroo stated that the media, not the public, is responsible for the shift in news quality. Read more…

The group from Seattle University's Study Abroad program "Mass Media in Modern India" with Bollywood's top movie stars Imraan Khan and Deepika Padukone and movie director Kunal Kohli on the sets of the film "Break ke Baad."

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Who on earth does her eyebrows? One has to secretly ask this question when you are suddenly facing Bollywood actress, Deepika Padukone on the set of her new movie, ‘Break ke Baad’—English translation, ‘After the Break’.

For my first time on set of a movie production, it was especially thrilling to be on the set of a Bollywood film—the mysterious and foreign side of Hollywood that us Americans rarely get a chance to see. Read more…

Ganesh. Image via ganeshtree.com.

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Post by Elaine Costales

My interest in Hindu Gods began one day when I was strolling along Height Street in San Francisco. About five months before this trip to India, I walked into what looked like a “new age” Indian boutique. Walking in, my sense of smell was immediately bombarded with the whiff incense. The store was crammed with wooden furniture, sculptures of deities and the Buddha, and an array of knick knacks. As I was busily browsing, the store started to play what seemed like a hip hop song with pulsating beats intertwined with Hindu chanting. It sounds weird, but listen to the song and you’ll get the idea. Anyway, all I could make out from the song was “Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!” I had no idea who or what Krishna was, but I was already intrigued. I ended up buying the CD, Elephant Power by MC Yogi. For me, this album became a fascinating, a little cheesy but fun introduction to the world of Hindu Gods.

I have spoken to many people that practice Hinduism here in Mumbai and have listened to what they have had to say about some of the Hindu Gods. These are descriptions of two Hindu deities, Krishna and Ganesh, that I have been most intrigued of through my conversations with people here in India. Read more…

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Post by Erika Sanchez

A photo collage of the Colaba Market by Erika Sanchez.

No trip is complete without a shopping excursion to the streets of Colaba in Mumbai. Whether you’re snagging something for yourself or loved ones, shopping is definitely a must and a steal. From colorful and beautifully woven scarves, various novelty shirts, figurines of gods and animals, or an array of jewelry, luggage, and purses, every shopper is sure to find something for their own interests and desires. Read more…

Twelve students from Seattle University are in India this summer on a Study Abroad program led by Prof. Sonora Jha from the Department of Communication. The students are blogging about their experiences in the program titled “Mass Media in Modern India.” Follow them as they walk through the streets of India and widen their world with experiences with leading international journalists, filmmakers (both Bollywood and independent cinema), television producers, non-profits and students of mass communication in Mumbai, India.

Post by Kari Odegaard

Repairs are being conducted on Sophia Polytechnic, Prof. Sonora Jha's alma mater.

It’s day six in India for us Seattle University students studying Mass Media in Modern India and today is our first day working with local students.  Our colleagues are graduate students at SCM (Social Communications Media) within the Sophia Polytechnic, a prestigious all girls college and professor Sonora Jha’s alma mater). Our task is to create a one-minute Audio-visual presentation encapsulating the soul of Mumbai media and how Mumbai communicates.  Each Seattle University student was grouped with three SCM students and then sent off into the city to attempt to find images completely unique to Mumbai.  The images may tell a story or document Mumbai coupled with some sort of audio aspect whether music or voice over and will be presented on July 27, 2010.

The students of SCM appear like any other average Seattle University student, attached to their Blackberrys, lugging oversized purses, and discussing Saturday night plans with each other.  Classrooms are even similar, except for the fact that one must take their shoes off, before entering (in order to keep the equipment clean) and that class is held from 8am to 5pm Monday-Saturday.  Finally, we break into groups and I am joined by three very capable women, Zahra Gabuji (20), Brenda Barnes (20), and Pooja Nandar (25).  All three live at least an hour and a half away from the school and wake at 5:30am every morning in order to take the train to class.  Common with many students in Mumbai, Zahra and Brenda live at home with their parents.  Pooja, whose family lives elsewhere in India, lives alone.  Unlike most students at SCM, Brenda’s undergraduate work was in the sciences and she talks about her mother’s displeasure with her choice to explore media studies in her post-graduate work.  All of the students at SCM are extremely intelligent with a work ethic that borders on perfectionism. Read more…